Stranger Things has ended, but Matt and Ross Duffer are already back with a new supernatural series on Netflix.
The Duffers are executive producers for The Boroughs, an upcoming science-fiction show set in a retirement community, whose members must become unlikely heroes in order to stop a threat from another world. The cast includes Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Denis O’Hare, Clarke Peters, and Bill Pullman, with The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance‘s Jeffrey Addiss & Will Matthews as creators, showrunners, and executive producers.
Netflix has now announced that The Boroughs will premiere globally on May 21. The streaming service has also revealed first-look images, which include Molina, Davis, O’Hare, Peters, and Pullman’s characters investigating and gathering together. Check out the images below:
Addiss and Matthews released a statement about how The Boroughs‘ story connects back to their childhoods, what the tone of the series will be, and why this tone made the Duffers the perfect collaborators. They also tease that “Sam Cooper (Alfred Molina) is the heart of our story” after losing his wife and figuring out what to do with his remaining years, and that this is a show they want teenagers to be able to watch with their parents and grandparents. Check out the showrunners’ full statement below:
When Jeff was a child all he did was draw monsters and when Will was a child he started planning for his retirement. So a show about a group of retirees who fight monsters really plays to both our strengths. The result is an adventure about a group of unlikely heroes that we can’t wait for everyone to fall in love with.
From the beginning, we knew we wanted The Boroughs to feel equal parts scary, mysterious, exciting and emotional. The challenge was to create a world that could hold all of these different tones at once. Which is why it was so fun to work with the Duffer Brothers – the masters of balancing heart and horror.
According to some very unofficial napkin math, our stars bring something like 350 years of craft to The Boroughs. We knew they would be great. We didn’t expect them to be so fun. They can make you laugh or cry with just a look. Makes it whole lot easier on us writers.
Sam Cooper (Alfred Molina) is the heart of our story. He recently lost his wife and he’s trying to figure out what to do with the time he has left. Which is a question we all face. No matter our age. It’s just the stakes get higher the more years you have under your belt.
Everyone talks about wanting to make a show that teenagers can watch with their parents. We wanted to make one that teenagers could watch with their parents and their grandparents that everyone could enjoy.
The Duffers also have a statement, in which they discuss being drawn to “a story about retirees and monsters” that “wouldn’t treat aging as a punchline.” They discuss how despite The Boroughs‘ characters being older than the Stranger Things children, there is a similar spirit brought to life by Molina, Davis, Woodard, Peters, O’Hare, and Pullman, who make the characters even more compelling than the supernatural elements.
For years, we’ve wondered why no one has made a film like Ron Howard’s wonderful Cocoon since, well, Cocoon. Then, out of nowhere, Jeff and Will emailed us an idea for The Boroughs: a story about retirees and monsters. They were adamant that — unlike so many stories about older characters — this wouldn’t treat aging as a punchline. Instead, it would treat its characters as real people facing real challenges… along with a few supernatural ones. It was exactly the show we’d been dreaming of.
While the characters are a little older than the kids in Stranger Things (they ride golf carts instead of bikes), the spirit is very much the same. At its core, this is a story about belonging and growing up — no matter your age — filled with adventure, wonder, comedy, scares, and tears.
And most importantly, you’re going to fall in love with these characters.
Watching legends like Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Clarke Peters, Denis O’Hare, and Bill Pullman bring them to life was genuinely magical. The monsters are very cool — but it’s the characters who will stay with you.
This is not the only Netflix show that the Duffers have coming in the aftermath of Stranger Things ending. They are also executive producers for the horror miniseries Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen, releasing on March 26, and Stranger Things: Tales’ from 85, releasing on April 23. With The Boroughs coming in May, they have new Netflix series set for the next three months. A live-action Stranger Things spinoff is in early development as well.
Addiss and Matthews’ previous Netflix show, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, received acclaim from critics and audiences, with an 89% Tomatometer score and 94% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes. While Age of Resistance was a prequel to Jim Henson’s 1982 The Dark Crystal movie, The Boroughs is an original story that is not part of a franchise, just as Stranger Things was when it started.